Edmund Ignatius Rice
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Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice (born 1762, died 1844) was a Catholic missionary and educationalist who was Beatified by Pope John Paul II in October 1996.
He was born in Callan, County Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1762 and died in Waterford, Ireland in 1844. His remains are in a casket in Mount Sion, Waterford.
When Edmund's wife died after an accident in 1789, he devoted himself to prayer and charitable work, particularly with the poor and marginalised. In 1802, he opened a school for them but the children were so difficult to manage that the teachers resigned. This prompted him to give up his own business and devote himself to training teachers who would dedicate their lives to prayers and to teaching the children free of charge.
Blessed Edmund is the founder of two orders of religious brothers: The Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers.
The Christian Brothers grew throughout Ireland, England, Southern Africa and Australia and today many schools in those countries owe their existence to his vision.